CHAPTER 94: SUBTLE

[Reid Mansion—Benjamin’s Study]

Jack stood near the bookshelf, pretending to be interested in a leather-bound volume he had never read.

Benjamin entered the study with the same calm, heavy footsteps that always made Jack feel fourteen again.

He closed the door behind him, not loudly but firmly enough to signal this wasn’t a casual chat.

"Sit," Benjamin said.

Jack obeyed immediately, though his jaw tightened.

Benjamin walked to his desk, loosened his cufflinks and finally looked at his younger son. "We need to discuss your next assignment."

Jack’s stomach knotted at the word assignment. That word never meant anything good coming from Benjamin.

Benjamin continued, "The Heinberg branch project, do you know about it?"

Jack swallowed. "Yes, the one scheduled to open next quarter."

Benjamin nodded once. "You will be heading it."

Jack blinked. "Me?" It slipped out before he could mask the shock but Benjamin heard it.

"Yes, you." Benjamin’s tone was flat, leaving no room for argument.

Jack forced a smile but it was too slow and unconvincing. "I am honored. I didn’t expect—"

Benjamin cut him off. "Don’t pretend to be surprised. You have been putting effort in the last week and I am acknowledging that."

For a moment, Jack thought he saw something like approval in his father’s eyes and his heart stupidly lifted. But that quickly changed when Benjamin’s expression sharpened again.

"But—" Benjamin continued, "your reaction right now tells me everything."

Jack froze.

"You don’t want to go," Benjamin said plainly. "And you are trying very hard not to show it."

Jack’s fingers curled into fists on his lap. "No, dad. I just didn’t expect such a big responsibility so suddenly."

"And you are not happy about it," Benjamin replied. "You think I don’t know the difference between confusion and disappointment? I raised you."

Jack’s jaw clenched so hard it hurt.

Benjamin leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "You are leaving, Jack. There is no negotiation here."

Jack’s breath hitched. "When?"

"As soon as Alexander finalizes the preparatory documents." Benjamin’s tone lowered dangerously. "And don’t delude yourself into thinking you have a choice."

The words landed like a slap and a public humiliation wrapped in calm authority.

Jack swallowed his anger. "Dad, may I ask why me?"

Benjamin’s eyes narrowed, studying him the way a hunter studies movement in the grass.

"Because—" Benjamin said softly, "you need discipline, focus and distance. And also because I don’t trust your sudden goodness."

Jack stiffened but he didn’t say anything. He knew how observant his father was and Olivia had already warned him about Benjamin. This is why he was always extra cautious whenever his father was around.

"I see the smile you have been wearing," Benjamin added. "It doesn’t suit you. It looks forced and it makes me suspicious."

Jack felt heat crawl up his neck. His mask slipped for half a second and Benjamin caught it like a hawk spotting prey.

"You will go," Benjamin said, final and absolute. "And you will make this project succeed."

Jack’s throat bobbed. "And if I refuse?"

Benjamin stood slowly, calmly. "You won’t."

Something in Benjamin’s eyes made Jack’s breath stop.

Benjamin stared at him for some time before stepping past him.

He then paused at the door.

"Pack your things and be ready," he said without turning back. "You leave the moment Alexander signs the transfer."

Then he opened the door and walked out.

Jack remained sitting with his jaw clenched, his pulse thundering and his nails digging into his palm. It was the perfect picture of a man whose plans had just been interrupted but whose fury was only beginning.

He let out a disbelieving laugh which was low, bitter and furious.

"So that’s it," he muttered under his breath. "He is shipping me away like I am some mistake he can hide."

His eyes burned as humiliation turned into a cold and focused rage.

He could see every single thing he wanted slowly slipping further away. Everything he had worked so hard for was getting ruined.

His father was scared and Jack could see that now. Benjamin was scared that he would ruin something and that he could get too close.

But that didn’t matter because Jack wasn’t planning on going anywhere.

He grabbed the glass paperweight from his desk and hurled it against the wall. It shattered loudly, scattering across the expensive carpet.

His breath shook as he ran a hand through his hair.

Just then, the door opened without a knock and Olivia slipped inside, shutting it behind her.

She took one look at the broken glass on the floor and then at Jack’s face.

When she saw the anger, the betrayal and the panic, her lips curved slowly.

"So—" she said in a silky, poisonous whisper, "he told you."

Jack didn’t answer. He just gave her a betrayed look before looking away.

Olivia walked toward him in her calm, calculated way and her eyes sharp like a woman who thrived on disasters she didn’t have to clean.

"You knew about this?" Jack asked.

"A little," she answered. "What did he say exactly?"

"He wants to send me away." Jack threw his head back and laughed, hysterically.

Olivia’s brows lifted with feigned sympathy. "Oh, darling, of course he does. He is terrified."

Jack looked at her sharply. "Of what?"

"Of you." She stepped closer. "Of what you might do and how you might interfere with Alexander and Evelyn."

Jack’s jaw flexed as he turned to face her, giving her his full attention.

Olivia leaned in, lowering her voice."And now that Gregory has agreed to the marriage, the only obstacle left is you."

Jack’s eyes widened as the meaning settled.

An obstacle.

That was how everyone saw him now. Someone they want to get rid of to make their lives comfortable.

Olivia smiled which was soft, manipulative and almost motherly.

She gently caressed his arm. "Your father thinks sending you away will fix everything. But you and I both know," she cupped his shoulder gently, "you are smarter than him."

Jack’s breathing steadied and dangerous calm settled inside him.

Olivia continued, "If you go quietly, Alexander wins again. He gets the company, the girl, the family, everything."

When he did not say anything, she continued, "But if you stay, you can still turn the tables."

Jack slowly lifted his eyes to hers.

The rage was still there but now, something else was forming— a plan, a direction and a purpose.

Olivia smiled when she saw it. She was getting exactly what she wanted.

"There you are," she murmured. "My son."

Jack exhaled shakily and stepped back from her touch.

"I won’t leave," he said quietly. "He can try, but I am not going anywhere."

Olivia’s smile sharpened. "Good. Now you just need to make sure Benjamin doesn’t realize what you are really thinking."

Jack scoffed. "He doesn’t know me at all."

She stepped toward the door but paused, looking back at him.

"Oh, and sweetheart?" Her tone sweetened. "Whatever you do next, make it subtle. Loud moves get punished but the quiet ones win."

Then she slipped out of the office, leaving Jack alone again.

He stared at the shattered glass on the floor. Then he smiled—slow and chilling.

"Subtle," he whispered.

And for the first time, his anger didn’t feel like chaos, it felt like strategy.

....